Thursday, August 9, 2012

MacBook Air - What's the big power cord for?

This is a question that is usually asked by people who are new to MacBook Air or Macintosh in general. When you buy a new MacBook Air it comes with two power cords, one that looks like this:

And there is also a bigger power cord that looks like this:

However when you look around the MacBook Air itself, you can't find a plug that fits the second power cord:

So what gives? Why did they include the big power cord you may ask yourself! It makes no sense! Here is what the big power cord is meant to be used for. On the first smaller power adapter, slide off the edge of the adapter itself like so:

You don't have to worry about breaking it, as long as you slide it horizontally and yes you do have to apply some force. With the corner piece completely off, you can now slide in the end of the second / bigger power cord like so:

That's it! Now what exactly does that get you, you may ask. Here is what you get:

A much longer power cord that is also a lot easier to plug into outlets where space is limited! So essentially you can think of it as an extension cord with a smaller foot print.

A lot of hard core Mac users may look at this post and think this should be common sense, but you will be surprised how many people at work and elsewhere at libraries and coffee shops have asked me this very question. From now on when they ask me this question I will be referring them to this blog post. Feel free to do the same if you are a Mac Pro.

221 comments:

I just got my MacBook Air yesterday. This certainly answered my question. I didn't have time to go back to the Apple Store today and ask them, so I very much appreciate this post with pictures. I've returned to a Mac after a 20 year absence, so I am needing some assistance to adjust. You did just that!

Yet another example of Apple arrogance. They assume their products are so great everyone should instinctively know how to use them. They can't be bothered to provide any information AT ALL with their packaging. Would it have killed them to put even just a little diagram on a slip of paper showing what the second cord is for??!! Thanks for the post and the information. Maybe you could get Apple to hire you and bring a little common sense to their organization!

Well, there is no question that they sell high quality products. Then again, you pay through the roof for the products, and I agree considering how much money you pay for it there should be a printed manual included. Right now they expect you to download the manual online, which of course no one does.

Thank you very much! I purchased a Mac book pro for my daughter and she gave me the cord! Had no clue how it fit onto the computer and never looked at whatever ac adaptor she was using. Your clear and succinct answer will now allow me to show my girl that dad's can be cool once in a while.

@Herpreet - That is a very good question that only the MacBook Air designers can answer. I agree from a practical standpoint 1 power cord does seem easier. As far as Forward Delete, Fn-Delete should do the trick for you. As for a home button, this may help:

Well, count me as one of those with absolutely NO idea of what that second cord was for. I know my way in and out of a PC and am the "go to" for family and friends for IT problems, but I just purchased my first MAC and was at a loss as to what to do with that cord. Talk about feeling silly! Such a simple explanation. I appreciate the pictures. I'm also glad I read through the rest of the comments....having no End and Home keys was really bugging me, and I'm glad to know I don't have to live without them. You're the best!

New to Mac, and loving it, but hated the short charging cord. I happened to dig in the box and find the second cord, but couldn't for the life of me figure out how to use it. Feeling stupid, and it's too late to go the store, I googled my question and you saved the day! Thanks! Now, back to enjoying my Mac :)Julie

LOL i feel like a complete du* A** now that i read your very clear blog/post it makes ALL THE SENSE IN THE WORLD what those 2 different cords are for LOL Im glad that I am not alone though. Thank you so much for this explanation as well as pictures!kudos to you and keep up the awesome work!

You geeks are all the same. Surprise that someone might not know what the hell this thing is for. Has anyone ever seen an extension cord with a white something-or-other in the middle of it, and where the cord is different diameters from one section to the next. Pls someone tell me you have so I can feel much stupider. Steve Jobs would likely have anticipated the possible confusion, and put a sticky or something on the white whatever-the-hell it is. For all that, I am glad I can go to your site and find the answer even if you really don't get Apple's lapse in this case.

I have a question... I have a Macbook air as my main laptop.. When I am at home, and there is a possibility to connect the MBA to power and use... But after it gets charged for 100%, can I still use it on AC power or should I COMPULSORILY disconnect and only use it on Battery... I want to ask you if using on AC power decreases the battery performance or not?

@hiplanedrifter - I am not denying the fact that Apple could have done a better job in this case. Either way, I am glad I could help you.

@Human86 - The charger automatically shuts down internally when your laptop is charged 100% and runs purely on AC Power directly from your outlet. There is no need for you to switch to batteries again.

thanks for reminding me about this cable, i had forgotten. i knew what it was for but i forgot i had it. i am so sick of this huge clunky charger falling from the outlet, why they made it so huge and cumbersome, i have no idea.

Thanks for the posting - wanted to let you know it's still helping others years later. I'm another one with decades of PC /IT consulting experience that was confused by finding 2 cords in the box. Then once I found how the fit together still was at a loss for why they gave you this option. So, it's an interesting example of how a company that is known for creating products with an intuitive design certainly failed with this one component.

Last night my Macbook Air would not turn on. It had been working perfectly, but when I opened the lid - nothing. Tried the power button - nothing. This morning I was troubleshooting the problem, and it still wasn't working. Tried it with and without the power cord.

Finally, I noticed the small plug piece of the power adapter had slid out just a small bit from the bigger piece (yet the connector at the laptop end showed the green light, so power was getting through). After sliding the pieces a hair closer, it now works again.

I'm not really satisfied with this solution (why wouldn't it work unplugged?), but figured this info may help someone else.

So glad to find this simple explanation to a seemingly STUPID question. Husband thought we probably should use the bigger cord, ?? safety reasons. Bigger is alway better-----right? But being anal about unsightly, messy cords, I hated the big ugly cord. So I made an executive decision and changed to smaller, neater cord........now, I feel better.

So, I figured out how to connect the extension to the power cord; however, I can't figure out how to disconnect them. The extension doesn't "slide out" from the power adapter very easily and I'm concerned about forcing the issue. What am I missing?

@Dipesh - Yes, Macbook Air does come with the same cord. @Scott - As long as you slide the extension block along the line shown in the picture you should be fine. You do have to apply some force though, which is normal for this.

There IS a reason for two cords other than it being an extension cord. If you are not near a plug that has a ground in it (that is what the fat cord is for) i.e. tree pronged outlet, you can use the shorter 2 pronged power cord.

Just got my own macbook pro, after the previous one I had, which was a lemon - the screen kept separating from the unit! Anyway, now I need to find an extension cord that I can use in a courtroom setting -- one that is much longer than the one that comes with the mac. Any suggestions? Thank you all, very helpful blog.

Thanks for posting this. I'm not exactly a dummy around computers but this simple thing had me puzzled too. My biggest concern was that the Mag2 was not grounded and may not be as safe. Just an 'extension cord' dah! Thanks so much.

You are certainly not alone in feeling that way. Apple basically assumes that you either know how it work, or can figure out how it works on your own or will visit their website and download the manual in PDFs format there. If all else fails they assume you will call their tech support.

As everyone else has said, Thank You!! I too am new to mac, have had a PC forever and finally decided to take the leap to Mac. That was the most puzzling part of the transition. Thanks again great post!!!

Thank You! Thank You! I just picked up a MacBook Pro and felt like such a dummy when I couldn't figure out what to do with those two cords. I was embarrassed to call one of my friends who uses Apple products, so I started searching on Google to find help and it took a while but finally got to this one which is exactly the explanation with pictures that I was looking for. Bless you for saving me from techno humiliation!!

Another thank you for the great post! We just purchased a MacBook pro yesterday and could not figure out what the heck the supplied extra cord does. It is not clear and you would think some kind of card or documentation would be included in the box to explain it.

Thanks. I bought my Mac Book Air (13) a week ago and didn't understand what it was for and whether or not it offered faster charging or something and i just turned back to apple like the prodigal sone after 1 years distance. So thank you very much for this blog.

thank you for your help.. i have one doubt. what does less footprint for chord means?

and regarding one answer of yours, i read somewhere that it is not advisable to continue using plugged when battery is fully charged. so i charge it 100% and then unplug charger. are you sure macbook uses power directly from outlet but not from battery once battery is charged fully.

Your MacBook automatically will stop charging when it is full. This is a safety feature that has to be in place, otherwise the batteries would get damaged as soon as they are fully charged.

When your MacBook is plugged into the wall it always uses direct power from the outlet regardless of if the batteries are empty or not. If your batteries are empty, they will charge while your machine continues using electricity from the outlet. It's only when you disconnect the machine from the outlet that the batteries kick in and start supplying power to the machine.

Yes Shint, the new MacBook uses the same 29W USB-C Power Adapter, so the same concept applies to that. The only thing that is different with it is that the tip of the USB-C Charge Cable is now different then the old MacBook, but the charger chord and Power Adapter are still the same.

I cannot believe how helpful/useful this thread has been! Just received my first Apple laptop (MacBook Pro) after 20 years of Windows desktop, and I get this power cord which fits exactly into WHAT? From the little two prongs (for what???), to the second LARGE power cord (NO explanation), to the knowledge that, once powered to 100%, the laptop will continue to use AC and not drain the fully-charged battery --- I am stoked! BASIC valuable information. Someone earlier used the phrase "tech shaming" or some such, so I, too, am grateful I won't be belittled for asking legitimate questions. You guys are very validating for common/normal users. Love you for your kind, patient, and thorough explanations. I heart you!

Awesome! I bought a new MacBook Pro yesterday and I'd been scratching my head over what the big cord was for. This is my 3rd MacBook and I don't remember getting a big cord like this before. Thanks for explaining it, makes perfect sense.

Thank you SOOOO very much for your pictures and explanation. I was about ready to call Apple to ask what this extra cord is for that came in the box with my new macbook air. There are no directions in the box.. I know, directions don't come in boxes anymore. Anyway, thank you for caring enough to help those of us who need explanations explained simply. Have a Blessed, Happy and Healthy New Year 2016!

You are very welcome Sally! When I wrote this blog entry some 4 years ago I didn't even dream of getting the amount of attention it has. It is pretty sad that Apple still doesn't explain this to their customers.

Your blog has been helping people for over three years! Kudos to you for explaining the mystery of the two cords and extra thanks for tips like using Fn.

Since Apple claims their products are intuitive, we're bound to feel like idiots if we can't figure something out, especially a cord that shouldn't require technical expertise. Maybe if all of us had phoned Apple, they might have gotten the message.

I don't recall two cords coming with my 2012 MacBook Air. I recently had to replace the thin cord because it had frayed. Because of the way Apple packaged the replacement, only the thicker cord was visible initially. I just assumed that Apple had replaced the delicate, thin one with something robust. Live and learn.

It never occurred to me that white box came apart. I was doing everything else, connecting to my wifi, syncing with my PC, and migrating my music. I did not know what the cord was for and thought I was missing a power supply. Text explanations don't do it. Thank you for the pictures.

Thank you so much for this. I am new to Mac and am trying to get used to all of the features and functions. When I saw the cord in the box and it didn't fit into anything it sure made me feel well...not so smart. Thank your for this answer!

I just bought my very first Mac at the age of 36...this question was my 'virgin Mac Google search! :) A rather large ominous cord - my first thought was "If this was a PC, whats the obvious reason to include a second cord with such an end bit?!" LOL Thank you so much for answering that with pictures. Some things, like why two cords? and 'where the heck is my side bar for scrolling? (LOL!) need to be answered tonight!

This is without a doubt the best explanation for a question asked on safari that I have ever asked. While I have had an IPhone and an IPad for years this is my first MacBook Air. I asked several Apple users what the cord was for and they did not know.Thank you, thank you for such a great explanation. Apple you are the best.

So, why does the power adapter have just two prongs, and the "extension cord" three? I know that the third prong on the extension cord is a ground wire. Is it important to ground laptops with a three prong plug?

It is always recommended to keep electronic devices such as laptops grounded, so if you can actually put up with the longer cord your laptop will be safer when using. Of course the longer cord does take up a lot more room, and since using your laptop without the extension is safe enough for most use conditions you should be fine plugging your device in without it.

Thanks for the cord info. I too have been a long time pc user and was given a MacBookAir as a gift from my husband. I needed some assistance with switching from a pc to a Mac so I have just ordered a book called Switching to the MAC, the missing manual (el Capitan edition). I glanced at an older edition and it seems that this book will help me greatly. It had lots of shortcuts listed that I wouldn't have even known existed. Seriously, just a basic manual from Apple with suggestions to research the shortcuts on my own would have given me a heads up. I own an iPad mini and iPhone and have liked them both very much. A computer is such a different thing, I hope I get used to this MAC or it will have been a great deal of $ wasted! Not impressed with Apple's handling of this MAC.

As everyone else has said already, thank you! I got my MacBook Air today and asked my husband, who has had his for over a year now, what the extra cord was for? He shrugged and said, "no idea. I shoved it in a drawer, don't know what it's for." Heh heh, I'm going to feel very clever when I demonstrate what to do with it! Thanks, a most helpful post.

I was told that it would be better to plug and unplug from the big cord instead of the adapter to keep the adapter free from damage from repeated pulling using the adapter as a plug instead of the big plug.

Thank you for this! I really hate that Apple just assumes that you know everything about everything Apple. I have never owned anything Apple before and my Mac Book Air is baffling to the point where I power it down and go back to the PC that I so desperately wanted to replace.

Thank you so much for that. I was trying to figure it out but was afraid to move anything in case I 'broke' it! I had to pack it all up again until I could get to the Apple shop. It wouldn't kill them to include a diagram!

Thank you so much. I was trying to figure it out but was scared to move anything in case I broke something. I had to repackage it until I could get to the Apple shop! I think they should include a diagram of this.

Although I like the thinner cord opposed to the industrial strength (both the same length with my 2015 13" Mac Pro purchase on 03/15/16) I do think using a grounded 3 prong plug offers more protection for the computer and try to reserve the thinner cord for portable use.(Appreciate this blog)

thank you so much. I have always used apple mobile devices but just recently started using mac. It has been quite an adjustment as they are so very different from the mobile devices. I would take this cord out every couple weeks and finally decided to just post a question and......how easy that was. I have nothing unkind to say about Apple, but thank YOU so very much for your help.

This puzzled me too and I cannot believe it. The article is from 2012, and Apple still didn't bother to add half a page of explanation about the cable and I am sure almost everyone who hasn't had a Mac before had to google what it was or ask at the Apple store.

Thank you thank you. Just got a MacBook Pro on my job. The tech who set it up also didn't know what this 2nd power cord was.Couldn't Apple have put a simple little diagram on a piece of paper to explain??

Totally answered my question, thanks. I had figured out how to use both power cords before reading this but was still wondering why? I guess the extension does come in handy, though I haven't found myself needing to use it yet. Also, why do MacBooks need such a day power adapter? Why is a giant white box so necessary when it isn't for other, less advanced computers?

Also, I was wondering what the two little tabs that fold out on the MagSafe adapter are, but then I found an image at this link, www.support.apple.com/en-us/HT202451, that answered the question. They are meant to save space by holding your extra cord so it's not just piled up by the outlet. Sort of like a vacuum. Pretty cool.

Coming up on the forth anniversary of this blog and I found myself wondering the same. I spent a minute looking on the sides of the computer and the playing with the clunky plug. I did find the tabs but then placed the extension cord into the box. It was driving me crazy laying here in bed so I couldn't help but Google the answer. Apple....put a sticker on the charger!!!! Thanks for this post!

Thanks for the help!! I somehow lost the plugs to the smaller power cord and thought I had no way to power my Macbook Air but your image showed me the larger power cord that I had forgotten about and never used!

Thank you so much for this post! I recently bought my MacBook Air and just had to charge it for the first time. I asked my 11 year old and he didn't know what it was for so I thought I was in big trouble if he didn't know. LOL! When I googled it this was the first post that came up and the pics were super helpful along with the info! :)

THANK YOU!! I will admit to being a MacBook novice. My sister got the new Air Pro for me for my birthday because I had always wanted one. . I am 71. I have never used anything but Windows. I asked but no one seemed to know. I don't mind sounding foolish. I had an idea it was there to augment the charging cord but wasn't sure how. I ladore my MacBook. Now I love it more because I can carry it around the room while it's charging. I can charge it and work while in bed when before my cord wouldn't reach the outlet. Simple, easy and why didn't those instructions come with the dang thing?

My goodness, I've had my mac book pro for a whole year while using the "normal charger" and my "weird" cord was collecting dust on my table. I finally decided to google what the unknown cord was for after had to borrow a charger when my battery was dying. The borrowed charger didn't quite look exactly like mine, but I did notice the 3 prongs that was very different than the regular charger. I figured somehow the weird charger was related somehow, yet I still didn't know how. When I got home I googled my question about what it was for and the site was the first that I came to. I was amazed when I followed the instructions and I had a much longer charger, where i didn't have to keep sitting up near the edge of my bed while working to keep my computer on the charger when the battery was low. I also noticed that I didn't have to worry about the charger constantly coming out the outlet when I accidentally lightly tugged on the wire with my foot.

Thank you so much!!! this post make my day... as i not a MAC user before so I never have any idea why there's two power cord. They certainly need to slip a small manual how to use this cord in their packaging. Thanks again.

One of the most useful and often overlooked features of ASP.NET MVC 3 and 4 is the ability to create and use Simple Data Grids. Unlike prior...

About

Pete Soheil is the Creator and Owner of DigiOz Multimedia, a Chicago-IL based company that specializes in the creation of Windows, Web and Mobile Application Development in a variety of Programming Languages, including C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, ASP, VC++, GCC, PHP and Perl.